As the swamp-like conditions continue to take effect on the Georgetown/Lethem trail, the town’s gas stations have run out of gasoline.
Reports are that all the gas stations at the Region Nine (Upper Essequibo/Upper Takutu) were without gasoline on Friday morning. An official at the Lethem Town Council confirmed that there was no fuel at least at one gas station.
A Lethem businesswoman told the Guyana Chronicle that the pumps at the Takutu Gas station were closed when she turned up at the fuel depot Friday morning. It was noted that some gas stations had limited stocks of diesel.
Regional Chairman, Bryan Allicock noted last Thursday that fuel tankers were un able to venture past the Hunt Oil stretch of road, “and even parts of the road north of Kurupukari”.
He said that a suggestion has been made to the Board of the Lethem Power Company to source fuel in the interim from Roraima State in neighbouring Brazil.
This “last resort” arrangement, Allicock said, had been in place since the 2011 floods, which had almost decimated the Rupununi. But that plan, he said, will take some time to put in place, since it will have to be approved by the government.